1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to medical devices and, more specifically, to medical needle devices, e.g., blood collection devices and syringes, incorporating a disinfecting wipe and methods for their use.
2. Background of Related Art
Typically, in practice today, prior to insertion of a hypodermic needle or the like into a patient, the area of the skin of the patient that is to be pierced by the hypodermic needle, is disinfected with a swab or a wipe that is impregnated with alcohol, benzalkonium chloride or the like. Such swabs or wipes are typically kept separate and apart from the medical device (e.g., a blood collection device) that is going to be used to pierce the skin of the patient. Many swabs, such as cotton balls, gauze pads, wipes and the like may be stored dry and thus require a degree of wetting in order to be used to properly prepare the skin of the patient, or are stored is a vapor-sealed package kept separate and apart from the medical device.
As such, the process of preparing the skin of a patient for the piercing by a hypodermic needle or the like is involved and requires numerous procedural steps to be taken by a nurse or phlebotomist in order to conform with proper medical procedure.
Thus, a need exists for a simpler, more efficient system and method of preparing a skin of a patient for piercing by the hypodermic needle or the like. For example, the need exists for a system that requires the gathering of fewer items prior to a skin puncture procedure.
A need exists for a medical needle device including a skin preparing swab or wipe supported therein or thereon.